Although it doesn’t enjoy a reputation for dissolving like a soluble Aspirin, the Volkswagen Beetle could develop rust issues. However, this 1965 example has avoided such problems. It is a two-owner classic that has been garaged for most of its sixty years. That approach has kept it nicely preserved, and, apart from one area, it is as original as the day it left the factory. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Rocco B. for spotting the Beetle listed here on Craigslist in Gainesville, Georgia. The seller set their price at $11,500 OBO for a car that appears to need nothing.
Very few vehicles would achieve global recognition if shown to the general public in silhouette form, but the Volkswagen Beetle would be one. Its styling remained essentially unchanged throughout its decades-long production life, demonstrating that the company had no interest in reinventing the wheel. This Beetle rolled off the line in 1965 and would appeal to anyone who craves a classic with a documented history. The seller includes the original dated Title, Owner’s Manual, Service Booklet, and the original tools. It wears Code L41 Black paint, with the wheels finished in the correct Pearl White. The seller provides limited exterior shots, although these paint a positive picture for potential buyers. The Black retains a warm shine, with no significant cosmetic problems. The panels are straight, but the best news hides below the surface. This Beetle has spent most of its life in climate-controlled storage, making its rust-free status unsurprising. Repairing such issues is not particularly difficult, but it is always welcome news when a classic on your shopping list doesn’t require such attention. The trim is in good condition, and the glass is clear.
The first thing that I noticed about this Beetle’s interior is the Black and White vinyl trim. It is in good condition, with no wear or other problems. It is comfortably serviceable and should remain so for decades if treated respectfully. However, the material colors and patterns aren’t period-correct for this car, suggesting a past refresh. Those preferring an authentic look might choose to reverse these changes, utilizing one of the readily available trim kits. That sounds like an expensive process, but this is an area where the Beetle springs a pleasant surprise. Kits typically cost under $1,000, containing everything required to return the inside of this classic to its factory form. Otherwise, the paint looks tidy, there is no significant wheel wear, an AM radio provides in-car entertainment, and everything works as it should.
There has always been great debate about whether developing the Beetle as a rear-engined car was an inspired choice. Some point to the uneven front-to-rear weight distribution as a negative that contributed to what could be quirky handling. However, others state that not only did this approach move any mechanical noise and smell as far from occupants as possible, but it also allowed the company to develop an aerodynamic shape that assisted with open road performance. Whatever side of the fence you fall on, the Beetle remained rear-engined until the final car left the line. This VW features a typical air-cooled flat four with a capacity of 1,191cc. It sends 40hp and 64 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transaxle. The key to the Beetle’s success wasn’t outright performance, but its ability to cruise for hours on highways and freeways while sipping elegantly from its tank. Unfortunately, the seller supplies no information regarding the car’s mechanical health, although the impression they convey is positive. Therefore, it would be fair to expect that the new owner could slip behind the wheel, hit the key, and head off for a life of classic motoring fun.
We’ve recently seen a few pre-1970 Beetles at Barn Finds, and their conditions have varied widely. This 1965 example is a beauty, with its rust-free status and overall presentation helping to accentuate its appeal. The price looks extremely competitive for a classic with no apparent needs. I mentioned the concept of a retrim, and kit prices are so low that returning the interior to its original form would be worthwhile if a factory appearance is more to your liking. It will be interesting to gauge how many readers would splash the extra cash, and how many would leave it as-is. So, it’s over to you.
9 hours, at time of posting, and not ONE comment on probably the most popular car since the Model T? For shame, or more accurately, the young have little, if any connection to many of their folks 1st car, perhaps even conceived in one,,,oops, too far. Practically everyone, say, 60 and older, had some connection with a Bug. You’d have a tough time not to, they were everywhere, and $100 got you wheels. The ’65 was a much improved car, and even new, I believe the least expensive car sold in the US,,until the Gremlin came along, that is.
You people, come on, you’ve GOT to have some Bug stories. If not, you missed a huge part of the 60s/70s, and I feel sorry for you.
I have a couple of doozys Howard. The first was with my girlfriend’s that was a twin to this one save the two tone wheels. We took it on a trip from Denver to south Texas (where I was born) and from there to southern CA to see the ocean.. but there was a snafu on the way to San Diego when the engine blew. And the worst of it was it was my fault.. I was drafting a semi and at 80 mph she let go. So, we hitched a ride (at 1am) and spent three days in Yuma waiting for a used one to be installed.. only to be thrown off the beach in San Diego for sleeping in it a few nights later. Who knew? The second car was mine, a turquoise ’64 that I put reverse wheels on the rear with wider tires for better stability, because I was a hot rodder at heart, and it worked. Sort of. Long story short, after the girlfriend was gone I took it to KS with my brother and after a month there the #3 cylinder started making noise and I knew it wouldn’t make it back to Denver.. but as fate would have it I ran across a bug for sale at a gas station not far from where we were living in Lawrence just a few days later. So.. I went in and asked what they wanted for it and he said “I don’t know, it belongs to the kid who works here, and when he walked in I was surprised to see he was a high school kid (I was 25 at the time) and when I asked him he said “$65”. My heart sank because I figured the engine was probably shot, but when I asked him about it he said he’d just rebuilt it but the trans was bad. Sooo.. I was elated and asked what he’d charge me to put it in, and he said “Nothing.. I’ll do it for free and I’ll bolt yours in it, but you’ll have to tow it out of here.” So I did. I just happened to know the owner of the town junkyard and he towed it for free just a day afterward. And much to my surprise and delight it also had an AM-FM radio and a carpet kit in it.. so when we left town a couple of months later I was driving in a considerably better car than I’d arrived in. Then after I got back to Denver I stupidly sold it, and I still don’t really know why except I was broke at the time, but it was a stupid decision.
If I could buy this I would keep it as it is. To me it’s a time capsule as it is and it would make a great spring summer and fall driver .
This car is a virtual twin (window size excepting) to my former ’64, also black. Mine was trimmed in red on the interior, though.
‘Eeyore’ was my daily driver in ATL I-285 traffic for six years in the 1990s. Purchased from the son of the original owner, who bought it new in ATL. Ran very poorly when I brought it home, and a thorough tune-up put it to rights. I rebuilt the engine about four years into my ownership, which restored a few missing of the 40 horses. Left it 6V (everybody recite with me: “clean, bright and tight”), and it actually had a little bit of heat for the Georgia winter, although I still had to carry an ice scraper for the inside of the windshield.
Finally decided to sell it after starting my own business. An old VW is a high-maintenance relationship, even just for normal maintenance items, so I replaced Eeyore with a new ’00 New Beetle TDI, which I kept for the next 12 years.
I’m currently (slowly) restoring a ’62 sunroof and a ’63 sedan. When done, we plan to make a drive down part of Route 66 with my younger son and his family in the Bugs.
The listed ’65 will make someone a fun ‘knock-around’ car that will always draw an audience at Cars & Coffee, or the local gas station.
My 67 squareback had those 65 only Beetle two tone wheels on it. I have one of them for a spare in my 69 fuel injected/automatic transmission squareback.
Man would I love to have this. Between my my wife and I we have had 6 of these back in the day. Have wanted another forever but always another toy in the way. Perfect color but would have to redo the interior to the original. Wonder if the wife would notice another Bug in the garage.
The new beetle did not compare favorably with the old beetle. New beetle was too complicated.
They should have kept the original iconic body. They should have put a 70hp efi motor – 40mpg with minimum sensors in it. Offered shipped with only 1 great stereo as standard and sound proofing and a/c. Nothing else. Roll up windows etc etc etc. They stupidly changed it, going against absolutely every ad campaign that drew us to it.
And as any mechanic will tell you, most of the new beetles are already in the boneyard.
1st the USA forgot how to build a car. Then the Germans.
If they would have kept the same body, and kept it as simple as a motorcycle, I think they might have re started the cult.
1/3 the ask for the Pinto. đ¤
Very nice. I havenât been keeping up on Beetle prices, but this seems reasonable. I already have a â65 thatâs in need of attention, so not for me.
When I was a kid we called black bugs âMickey Mouse Carsâ. đ¤ˇââď¸ Made sense at the time.
No more bugs for me, they look like a ball and roll like a ball.
My first VW was a ’64 I bought in ’65 from a German mechanic in San Francisco, so it was perfect. After wrecking it in Kansas in ’67 I bought a ’58v from a Navy officer in Oakland, so it was perfect too. Stupidly sold it in early ’68 to buy an MGA which emptied my bank account. Had a job on a Colorado ranch (in Buena Vista Howard) but knew the MGA wouldn’t make it so sold it and bought a ’57 VW with 120k on it. Changed the oil and drive to Colorado, drove back to SF end of summer, sold the ’57 and bought a brand new ’69, $2′,100. Sold it 2 years later when I got a company car, but got a ’68 when my wife brought it to our marriage. Sold it, bought a better ’73, then bought a ’72 square back which we drove around the west for 2 weeks on 4 mismatched used tires….no problems. So that’s my VW story. Probably not very unusual and similar to lots of other folks. These were good cars, easy to work on, cheap, dime a dozen. You just had to keep revs up or they’d burn a valve. I’d love to have this black one…..
If the seat rails donât break off rusted floors then maybe rusted heat exchangers will fill the interior with exhaust gases. What we know now, huh ?!
A twin to our honeymoon car that entailed a trip from Tn.to N.Y. in Dec.1973 during the 1st gas crisis. Slow going, no heat, not many places to get gas even on the interstate. Made it, on reserve, to what seemed like the only gas stop open on the Adirondack Northway!! That Bug is gone, but I still have the Wife. Bought another ’65 two years to relive our youth, who says ya can’t go back?!
Oh, boy, stories about a bug you want, I have a couple about my ’65. I bought that Aqua (?) green thing used around ’72 or so. I worked the midnight shift in a Burlington, NJ plastic injection molding plant. The first winter I had it, I kept trying to figure out how in the world do I get any heat into this thing? I shoulda stuck with a Ford, the heaters always worked in them. One night on my way to work after a snow storm, the roads had been cleared, but there were some icy patches. If you think a VW Beetle can’t do a 360, I can attest to the “pucker factor” when I hit a patch of ice and that little green monster spun around and had me heading in the original direction I was heading. At least I didn’t have to turn around and go back home for a change of clothes. That 40 horse engine started to run a little rough so I bought a set of spark plugs and put ’em in. Then the car ran even worse. Managed to get it back to the shop I bought it from and discovered the VW could be somewhat finicky about the BRAND of plugs I had used. If you had a German car, ya had to use BOSCH spark plugs, no substitutes allowed. When I began to have starting problems, I figured the old “put one foot on the clutch, the other out the open door” method of a push start would work pretty well as long as I was parked on the end of the parking lot with a slight grade at work. After awhile it wasn’t fun anymore, so I changed the 6 volt battery, then the starter, then the generator, then the starter again. 2 more different starters and another generator, I finally got smart and took it to my “VW Guy” and he found the ground wire was not grounded because of the RUST on the chassis. By then, I’d had all I could take and bid my “fond farewell” to the “bug” and traded it for a ’68 Renault R-10. But that’s another “comedy of errors” for another time…
I’ve owned numerous vdubs. Many may not know but the Porsche morphed from this car. As far as the interior the seats weren’t the most comfortable to start with. I would get my moneys worth out of whats there. The floor pans is what to look at for rust also.
I didn’t know Porche was an offshoot of VW.. how cool. I did know that a Porche air cooled engine would bolt right up to the VW and I always wondered why that was the case but now it makes sense. I probably would’ve done it it too had the junkyard I frequented ever gotten one in, providing I could have afforded it anyway.
Never owned a Bug but went through a ’55 panel van, 2 notch backs, a ’77 camper and the last an ’84 water cooled camper. Was stationed in Goose Bay, Labrador when owning the panel van. Heater was good for your right foot and the windshield so I kept it stocked with firewood and burned it on the back floor as needed. Wife owned a Beetle before I met her and she took down a telephone pole with it. Seems these cars always have excitement around them. Nice one here and good to see one in this condition.
My VW bug (and bus) stories. I was 15 and bought my first car. A 1965 Austin Mini Cooper. Paid $25.00 but it had a rod sticking out of the crankcase. Figuring I was not going to get it fixed in time for school opening, I came across a 1956 Austin Healey 100.4 for $300. This one was missing the oil pan. Still 15 years old, a year away from getting my driver’s license, I had 2 non running cars parked in the apartment complex where I lived. I lied about my age to get a job in a gas station but I needed a better way than hitch hiking to and from work every day after school. So, I bought my first Beetle. A 1962 for $100. I figured this will get me to and from work without too much attention from the police. My older brother registered it for me and so I was driving while still too young to have a license. But I was getting to and from school and work and earning enough money to try and fix both my British cars. The Beetle burned a quart of oil every week, so I ended up mixing a concoction of STP, 30 WT oil, and some gear oil. It was too thick to get past the rings (or so I thought) but it ran and didn’t smoke much. The only other issue with the Beetle was I had to hold the shifter in gear when it was in 4th. Otherwise it would pop out. I put in an 8 track player and wired it to a 12 volt battery in the trunk, took out the back seat and layed in a piece of plywood I cut to fit the shape and covered in shag carpeting, and reversed the wheels so it looked a bit wider than stock. And that Beetle got me through 2 years of high school, earned me enough money to get the Healey fixed and running, and it kept running until I traded it for a 1959 VW Bus. What sold me on the bus was it had a gasoline heater. After 2 years of driving in NH winters with the bug, the bus was a real warm treat in the winter. Both VWs had more holes than metal in the floorboards, but I was able to make my own inspection stickers that had to be changed out for a different color every 6 months. But the VWs always started no matter what the weather was. That was a pleasant contrast to my Healey and unfortunately I never did get the Mini Cooper running, so I traded it for a racing kart. After high school I kept up acquiring VWs, a couple Karman Ghia convertibles, a few more Beetles, and now at 70 years old I don’t have a single VW. My last one a 67 I sold a few years ago.
Ah, that’s more like it. Thanks all and proof positive, a VW was part of just about everyone’s lives. Kind of like a cell phone today. We had real fun, not cyber fun, did I tell about the time, cruisin’ in my friends ’58 ( hoping #3 exhaust valve stayed put), partying in typical 1970s style, when oh, oh, red lights a blinkin’, paranoia set in, everything went out the window. It was a false alarm, as it was just an ambulance,,,man.